MOH Awarded for Sinking CSS Albemarle: Part II

Abandoning Picket Boat No. 1 (US Naval Historical Center (NH 4222))

Edward J. Houghton

Edward J. Houghton, an ordinary seaman on the Chicopee, in October 1864, was the eldest of five sons of Irish immigrants Richard Houghton and his wife Catherine (Kelley) Houghton.  He was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1843.  Sometime prior to 1850 the family moved to East Boston, Massachusetts where Richard was a grocer. Catherine appears to have died in 1856 and Richard in 1860.  In 1860 the family lived in Suffolk, Massachusetts.  

On July 19, 1862, Edward Houghton enlisted in Company K, Thirty-ninth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.  Houghton was reportedly nineteen years of age, five feet four inches tall, had hazel eyes, black hair and a light complexion. His occupation was listed as mariner.*  He transferred to the navy on April 19, 1864.  Naval enlistment records for May 1864 show Houghton, a native of Mobile, Alabama enlisting in the navy in Brooklyn on May 4 for one and a half years as an ordinary seaman.  He was twenty-one years of age with hazel eyes, brown hair and a dark complexion and stood five feet five and one half inches tall. 

 On July 16, 1865, one day before he was to be honorably discharged from the navy, Edward J. Houghton was stabbed and killed by Henry Smith, at Gosport, Virginia, when a fight broke out amongst a number of sailors on shore leave. Houghton was originally buried in the Naval Cemetery at Norfolk, Virginia.  In 1890 he was disinterred and reburied at Holyrood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.  

*Naval enlistment records show an eighteen year old Edward Houghton who had been born in Mobile, Alabama, enlisting in the navy as an ordinary seaman in Boston for 2 years on December 6, 1861. Houghton was described as being 5 feet five inches tall with hazel eyes, black hair and a light complexion.  He deserted in December 31,1861.

Edward J. Houghton (Congressional Medal of Honor Society photo)

 Lorenzo Deming

Lorenzo Deming was a landsman on Picket Boat No. 1 in October 1864.  He was born on September 6, 1843, in Granby, Connecticut, the second youngest of five child of Gideon and Lovisa (Bidwell) Deming. Lorenzo was a mechanic in New Haven, Connecticut when he enlisted in the United States Navy, as a substitute, for one year, on September 8, 1864. (Navy enlistment records indicate Lorenzo had served one year in the navy prior to his September 8, 1864 enlistment.)  Deming was twenty-one years old, stood five feet six and one-hand inches tall and had hazel eyes, brown hair and a dark complexion.  He was captured on October 28, 1864, and died at the Confederate Prison in Salisbury, North Carolina on February 5, 1865.  Lorenzo Deming is probably buried within the grounds of what is now Salisbury National Cemetery.  

Henry Wilkes

Henry Wilkes was a landsman on Picket Boat No. 1 in October 1864.  Wilkes was born in 1845 in New York City, New York.  Henry was the oldest of John and Elizabeth Wilkes three children.   He was nineteen years old when he enlisted in the United States Navy, for two years, as a substitute, on September 13, 1864.  At the time of his enlistment he was employed as a printer.  Henry was five feet five and three-quarter inches tall, had hazel eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion. 

After being discharged from the navy Henry returned to New York and married.  He and his wife Louisa( Lucy) had two children before Henry's death on March 3, 1888.  Henry is buried in Beverwyck Cemetery in Rensselaer, New York.  

 Daniel Griffin George (alias William Smith)

Daniel Griffin George, was an ordinary seaman on the Chicopee, in October 1864, when he volunteered to serve on Picket Boat No. 1.  Daniel was born on July 7, 1840, in Plaistow, New Hampshire to shoemaker Lyman P. George and his wife Eliza.  He was the oldest of seven children.  Prior to 1850 the family moved to Massachusetts.  By 1860 they were living in Salem.

An article in the April 2, 1898, Brooklyn Eagle mentioned Daniel "sailed out of New Bedford for a three year cruise on a whaler in the Arctic Ocean" in 1857 when he was 17.  On September 16, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company D First Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry, for three years.  At the time of his enlistment George was twenty-one years of age.  He was five feet seven and one-half inches tall, with blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion. Daniel was promoted to sergeant February 8, 1863.  He was captured June 17, 1863, at the Battle of Aldie, Virginia and paroled at Annapolis in August.  

George reenlisted in the First Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry on January 1, 1864, and "transferred to the United States Navy on May 7, 1864, as an ordinary seaman under the name of William Smith."  George was captured on October 28, 1864. Upon being paroled he returned to the Chicopee and served on several navy ships, for a time as a coxswain, until being discharged on April 26, 1866. Upon being discharged from the navy Daniel George returned to New Hampshire.  

Daniel George married Florence A. Blake in Boston on February 23, 1864.  She died on bronchitis on August 4, 1866. On September 6, 1866, George married Mary E. Beardsley in Danville, New Hampshire.  They would have eight sons and two daughters before Mary's death in 1911.  The George family lived in New Hampshire, where George was employed as a shoemaker and later a farmer. By 1900 they were living in Massachusetts.  George died on February 26, 1916.  He and his wife Mary are buried in Locust Grove Cemetery, in Merrimac, Massachusetts.

*George purportedly "changed names" with William Smith when he joined the navy so he could serve on the Chicopee with his friend Edward J. Houghton.

Robert Henry King

Robert Henry King, a landsman on Picket Boat No. 1, in October 1864, was born in the Eighth Ward of the City of Albany, New York November 8, 1844.  He was the second child of Samuel W. and Susan M. King.  Robert had an older sister named Henrietta.  Robert's mother died on December 5, 1844, when he was less than a month old.  Samuel, who was a successful merchant, would marry a second time and father four additional children before passing away from dropsy on June 18, 1864, leaving Robert King an orphan.  

Robert enlisted in the United States Navy on September 10, 1864, as a substitute, in New York City.  At the time of his enlistment Henry was a nineteen years old laborer.  He was five feet three and one-half inches tall, with grey eyes, dark brown hair and a fair complexion.  King was captured on October 28, 1864.  After being paroled on February 21st he returned to Albany, New York where he died of typhoid fever on April 10, 1865.  He is buried in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menard, Albany County, New York.

    Robert Henry King (Congressional Medal of Honor Society photo)

Source information for this post includes, but is not limited too, newspaper articles from 

Newspapers.com, records from Ancestry.com and Fold3.com, and information pertaining to Medal of Honor recipients. 

Medals of Honor Awarded for Sinking CSS Albemarle

Picket Boat No. 1 (US Naval History Center photo NH 63378)

 Lieutenant William Barker Cushing received the thanks of the Navy Department and the thanks of the United States Congress for leading the expedition that successfully sank the ironclad ram CSS Albemarle on October 28, 1864.   He was also promoted one grade from lieutenant to lieutenant commander.  There were fourteen officers and enlisted men that accompanied Cushing in Picket Boat No. 1, including:  

     Acting Asst. Paymaster Francis H. Swan, USS Otsego (captured)

    Acting Ensign William L. Howarth, USS Monticello (captured)

    Acting Master's Mate John Woodman, USS Commodore Hull (drowned)

    Acting Master's Mate Thomas S. Gay, USS Otsego (captured)

    Acting 3rd Asst. Engineer William Stotesbury, US Picket Boat No. 1 (captured)

    Acting 3rd Asst. Engineer Charles L. Steever, USS Ostego (captured)

    First Class Fireman Samuel Higgins, US Picket Boat No. 1 (drowned)

    Coal Heaver, Richard Hamilton, USS Shamrock (captured)

    Ordinary Seaman Bernard Harley, USS Chicopee (captured)

    Ordinary Seaman Edward J. Houghton, USS Chicopee (escaped)

    Ordinary Seaman, William Smith, (Daniel G. George), USS Chicopee (captured)

    Landsman, Lorenzo Deming, US Picket Boat No. 1 (captured)

    Landsman, Henry Wilkes, US Picket Boat No. 1 (captured)

    Landsman Robert H. King, US Picket Boat No. 1 (captured)

Cushing and Edward J. Houghton escaped. Samuel Higgins and John Woodman drowned.  Their bodies were recovered and taken to New Bern, North Carolina for burial in what is now New Bern National Cemetery.   The remaining eleven men were captured and sent to a number of Confederate POW camp, including Salisbury and Danville, North Carolina and Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia before being paroled on February 21, 1865.

The seven enlisted men of Cushing's crew, that survived, would ultimately be awarded the Medal of Honor.  Their citations read as follows:

[This recipient] "served on board the US Picket Boat No. 1, in action, 27 October 1864, against the Confederate ram, Albemarle, which had resisted repeated attacks by our steamers and had kept a large force of vessels employed in watching her.  The picket boat, equipped with a spar torpedo, succeeded in passing the enemy pickets within 20 yards without being discovered and then made for the Albemarle under a full head of steam.  Immediately taken under fire by the ram, the small boat plunged on, jumped the log boom which encircled the target, and exploded its torpedo under the port bow of the ram.  The picket boat was destroyed by enemy fire and almost the entire crew taken prisoner or lost."  

Five of the recipients including Richard Hamilton, Bernard Harley, William Smith, Henry Wilkes and Robert H. King would receive their medals from Commodore Montgomery in a ceremony at the Naval Yard in Washington D.C., on  March 15, 1865.  The March 16, 1865 Philadelphia Inquirer, reported, "The medals [were] prepared by the Navy Department.  Each medal was accompanied by a letter from the Secretary saying it was awarded for gallant and meritorious conduct."

Naval officers were not able to receive the Medal of Honor until 1915, however the five officers present with Cushing were advanced one grade for "conspicuous gallantry."

All the participants would receive a share of the prize money awarded for the destruction of the ram.  

Following are the stories of the  Medal of Honor Recipients. 

Richard Hamilton

Richard Hamilton, a coal heaver on the Shamrock, in  October 1864, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania January 23, 1836.  He was the eldest of six children, five sons and a daughter, born to George and Emma Hamilton prior to George's death in 1856.  Richard was employed as a cooper when he enlisted as a private in Company H, Seventeenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on April 18, 1861.  The company was mustered in on April 25th.  The regiment  spent time in Maryland and western Virginia prior to mustering out after three months on August 2, 1861.  

On February 23, 1864, Richard enlisted in the United States Navy for one year.  He was twenty-eight years old, stood five feet seven and one-half inches tall, had blue eyes, brown hair and a light complexion.  Hamilton served on the USS North Carolina from February 23 to June 13, 1864.  On the 14th he transferred to the Shamrock.  Richard was captured at Plymouth, North Carolina, October 28, 1864, and was paroled March 10, 1865, at Cox's Wharf  on the James River in Virginia.  He was discharged from the navy March 20th.

 Richard Hamilton married Mary Jane Nugent July 3, 1856, in Philadelphia.  The 1880 Federal Census shows Richard living in Camden New Jersey with his wife Mary and a son George A. Hamilton age 9. Richard worked as a cooper.   

Hamilton died of paralysis July 6, 1881, in Camden New Jersey.  He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Camden.

Bernard Harley  

Bernard Harley, an ordinary seaman on the Chicopee, in October 1864, was born November 14, 1842, in Brooklyn, New York's Ninth Ward.  He was the second to youngest son of Irish immigrants Hugh and Ann (Boyle) Harley.  In the 1860 Federal Census Hugh, Sr was listed as an oil cloth maker.  Seventeen year old Bernard and his younger brother Hugh were employed as paper stainers, a printer who patterned wall paper.  

On October 19, 1860, Bernard enlisted in the United States Navy as a First Class Cabin Boy for three years.  At the time of his enlistment he was eighteen years old, stood five feet three inches tall, had grey eyes, light hair and a light complexion.  He must have been discharged in the fall of 1863 because he enlisted as a private in Company F, 84th New York Volunteer Infantry for three years on December 8th.  He was mustered in on December 13th.  The roster of the 84th New York notes Bernard transferred to the Navy on April 26, 1864.  Enlistment record's for the navy show Bernard re-enlisting in New York on May 5, 1864, for 2.75 years.  Bernard's occupation is listed as sailor in the naval records.

After being paroled, Bernard rejoined the navy. At some point he was assigned to the USS Delaware prior to being discharged from the navy on August 3, 1865.

After being discharged Bernard returned to Brooklyn.  On July 26, 2874, he married Annie Sutton.  Bernard was employed as a laborer at the New York Naval yard at the time of his death from Bright's Disease on Friday January 15, 1886.  he was buried on January 17, 1886, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

to be continued.

  

 

 

"A More Gallant Thing Was Not Done During The War": Lt. William B. Cushing and the Sinking of the CSS Albemarle

William  Barker Cushing (The New York Public Library photo*)

 Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, October 30, 1864

Sir:  "I have the honor to report that the rebel ironclad Albemarle is at the bottom of the Roanoke River."  These were the opening words in an official report, to Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, penned by navy Lieutenant William Barker Cushing two days after he returned to the fleet from a successful suicide mission to sink the Confederate ram docked at Plymouth, North Carolina.  The navy officer's exploits made the twenty-one year old an instant celebrity and a national hero as the "word of [his] deeds went all over the north."  He received the thanks of the Navy Department for the fifth time. On December 20, 1864, at the request of President Abraham Lincoln, Cushing would become the youngest lieutenant, and only the second junior officer, in the history of the United States Navy to receive the thanks of Congress, as the august body commended him and  "the officers and men under his command for the skill and gallantry displayed by them in the destruction of the...iron clad steamer...on the night of the twenty-seventh of October.**  Seven enlisted men with Cushing would be awarded the Medal of Honor on December 31, 1864, in accordance with Special Orders No. 45.

Sinking the Albemarle (US Naval Historical Center photo) 

The CSS Albemarle became the scourge of the the United State's Navy's North Atlantic Blockading Squadron upon its commissioning on April 17, 1864.  The steam powered ram had been built in Peter Smith's cornfield, adjacent to the Roanoke River near Edward's Ferry, upriver of Plymouth, between January 1863 and early April 1864. The ironclad was 158 feet in length, 35 feet wide and drew nine feet of water.  Its armament consisted of two 6.4 inch Brooke's Rifled Cannons, mounted fore and aft.  The guns could pivot 180 degrees and fire out of three gun ports.  

The  ironclad steamed down the Roanoke River under the command of Captain John W. Cooke on April 17, 1864  to assist Confederate infantry under Brigadier General Robert F. Hoke in retaking the town of Plymouth, which had been held by federal forces since May 1862.   By the evening of the 18th it was three miles above town.  Between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. on April 19, the Albemarle and the CSS Cotton Plant engaged the USS Southfield and the USS Miami.  The Albemarle rammed the Southfield and sank her. She caused considerable damage to the Miami and drove off the other Union vessels supporting the federal garrison at Plymouth.  Lieutenant Commander Charles W. Flusser, of the Miami  a good friend of Cushing's was killed by a piece of shell, while actively engaged in firing his guns.  

Hoke and the Albemarle continued the attack on the Union Army forces at Plymouth, who were now without federal naval support, on the 20th. The garrison was forced to capitulate by days end.  Over 2,300 soldiers were captured.  Many of them wound up at Andersonville.  The Confederates had retaken Plymouth. 

On May 5th, the Albemarle, accompanied by the Cotton Plant and the CSS Bombshell, left Plymouth in route to assist Confederate forces in an attempt to retake New Bern on the Neuse River.  The ram first had to get by seven ships of the Union squadron blockading Albemarle Sound, who were laying in wait for the rebel ironclad and her support vessels.  About 4:40 p.m. a spirited engagement commenced which lasted until about 7:30 p.m.  Neither side was able to gain the upper hand.  As darkness settled over the sound and with her smokestack pierced with holes and the muzzle of one of her Brooke's rifles shot off the Albemarle broke off the contest and steamed back up the Roanoke River to Plymouth.  

Five enlisted men from the USS Wyalusing made an unsuccessful attempts to sink the Albemarle at Plymouth, with torpedoes, on May 24, as she was a continued threat to the federal blockading squadron, and tied up a considerable number of their resources in watching for her. In sheer desperation, in early July, the navy finally asked Lt. William Barker Cushing if he would make an attempt to destroy the ram.  He agreed to undertake the mission and proposed two options one of which was selected.  Cushing proceeded to the New York Navy Yard in August where he had two steam powered launches (picket boats) fitted out and outfit with spar torpedos.  The picket boats left New York on September 22.  One  was lost in the Chesapeake Bay.  Cushing and the second boat arrived at Hampton Roads, on October 13th.  On the 17th they proceeded to Albemarle Sound where he found the fleet at the mouth of the Roanoke River.  Cushing reported to Commander William H. Macomb, who commanded the "District of the Sound", on October 24, and final preparations were made to launch the attack.

At 10:30 p.m. on October 26 Cushing headed up the Roanoke toward Plymouth and the Albemarle, eight miles distant.  His picket boat ran aground and he had to abort the mission.  A second attempt was made on the 27th.

The night of October 27, 1864, was dark, stormy and rainy when Lt. Cushing and 14 men in Picket Boat No. 1 started up the river again about 11:30 p.m. They towed a cutter from the Shamrock containing two officers and 11 men. Cushing hoped to board the Albemarle and bring it down river to join the Union fleet.  If that failed he would attempt to blow up the ram with his spar torpedo.  

Cushing's boats "hugged the shore as close as possible," to prevent being seen by Confederate pickets and sentries as they quietly steamed up the Roanoke.  By 2:30 a.m. on the 28th the lieutenant and his men had made it too within a mile of Plymouth. They could see the silhouette of the Southfield. They were able to pass within thirty feet of the wreck without being detected.  As the picket boat approached Plymouth around 3:00 a.m. Cushing could see the outline of the Albemarle.

As Cushing steamed toward the ironclad his luck ran out and his picket boat was spotted by sentries who hailed him.  When he did not respond they lit bonfires on shore, "sprang their rattles, rang the bell and commenced firing, at the same time repeating their hail."  The lieutenant cast off the cutter and ordered it below to deal with the pickets on the Southfield, while he "made toward the [Albemarle] under a full head of steam."  

The light from the fires "showed the ironclad made fast to the wharf, with a pen of logs around her about 30 feet from her side.  Passing her closely [Cushing turned and] made a complete circle so as to strike her fairly and went into her bows on...The enemy fire was quite severe.  The air seemed full of bullets."  Paymaster Swan was wounded.  Bullets struck Cushing's clothing, "the whole back of [his] coat was torn off by buckshot and the sole of his shoe carried away.  A dose of canister at close range [from Cushing's 12-pound howitzer] served to moderate their zeal and disturb their aim" however.  

The speed of Cushing's picket boat forced the launch up onto the log apron where it came to rest.  The picket boat was "ten feet from the muzzle of a rifled gun [on the Albemarle] and every word of command on board  [the ram] was distinctly heard."  Cushing lowered the torpedo by vigorously pulling "on the detaching line and succeeded in driving the torpedo under the overhang [of the ram]."  He waited a moment for the torpedo to rise before pulling another line attached to the torpedo and exploding it at the same time that the gun on the Albemarle fired.  "One hundred pounds of grape crashed in [the] midst" [of the men in the picket boat] and a dense mass of water rushed in from the torpedo, filled the [boat] and completely disabled her."  The torpedo had blown a hole in the hull of the ram "big enough to drive a wagon through."

The Confederates continued to fire at Cushing and his men "at 15 feet range" and repeatedly demanded he surrender, which he twice refused.  After ordering his men "to save themselves" Cushing threw off  his overcoat, shoes, revolver and sword and jumped into the Roanoke River.  The cold water "chilled the blood while the whole surface of the stream was ploughed up by grape and musketry." Cushing and several others swam toward the "middle of the stream, the rebels failing to hit them."  

"The rebels were [soon] out in boats picking up [Cushing's] men." Eleven were captured.  Two were drowned. Only one man, ordinary seaman, Edward J. Houghton, escaped besides Cushing. After swimming for a time in clothing that was "soaked and heavy, Cushing, completely exhausted...reached the shore.  [He] was too weak to crawl out of the water until daylight, when he managed to creep into a swamp.  Some hours' traveling in the swamp brought [the lieutenant] out well below town, when [he] sent a negro in [to town to find out] that the ram was truly sunk."   

William B. Cushing "proceeded through another swamp [and] came to a creek where [he] captured a skiff, belonging to a picket of the enemy, and with this by [about 10:00 p.m. he] had made his way out to the mouth of the Roanoke River where he hailed a ship." "Boat ahoy! Send a boat!"

"A boat was sent out [from the Valley City]...Cushing was brought on  board in his stocking feet, with only a coarse flannel shirt and pantaloons to cover him. He was wet, cold, tired, hungry and prostrated.  [He was given a little brandy and water and taken to the Shamrock.]  [Rockets were fired and] Commodore Macomb ordered the riggings of the fleet to be manned, and at the general signal to give Captain Cushing three hearty cheers; and such cheering-it made those swamps, forests and waters resound with the voices of glad-hearted men."  

On October 29 Macomb's fleet steamed up the Roanoke River toward Plymouth.  They recaptured the batteries and the town on October 31, 1864, and also took possession of the sunken hulk of the Albemarle and Picket Boat No. 1. 

The Valley City was detached on October 30th and ordered to take Lieutenant Cushing to Fortress Monroe, Virginia.  On November 1st he was "received on board [Rear Admiral Porter's] flag-ship, with a salute of twenty-one guns." Cushing then proceeded to Washington D. C., and other northern cities, where he received a heroes welcome.

**Lieutenant John L. Worden received the thanks of Congress on July 11, 1862 for his action in command of the USS Monitor in March 1862. 

Information for this article is derived from various sources including but not limited to Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies, Series I, Volume 10, Outline Story of the War Experiences of William B. Cushing by Himself, US Naval Institute Proceedings, September 1912 Volume 33/3/145 and Reminiscences of Two Years in the United States Navy by John, M. Batten, Lancaster, Pa., Inquirer Printing and Publishing Co., 1881.

The words " a more gallant thing was not done during the war" come from the commander of the Albemarle, Lieutenant A. F. Warley.

*The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. Lt. William B. Cushing. Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-70a6-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Uncle Tommy Devin: The Saga of a Commander of Cavalry

 Brevet Major General Thomas Casimer Devin stands out as one of the most capable Union cavalry commanders in the American Civil War even when compared with colleagues who were graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.  Devin was born on December 10, 1822, in New York City.  He was the oldest son of Michael Devin, born in County Louth, Ireland in 1788 and his wife Jane (Duffy) Devin who was also born in Louth, in 1803.  The Devin's immigrated to the United States from "the Wee County", which is located on the eastern coast of Ireland, and settled in New York City.

Thomas Devin had four younger brothers; John Joseph Connolly born on September 25, 1825, Nicholas born on October 10, 1829, Philip Michael, born September 23, 1832 and Michael born in 1834.  Michael died at nine months of age of whooping cough.  Both John and Philip were merchants in New York City.  John died in 1889.  Philip died in 1918.  Nicholas lived in Boston, Massachusetts prior to his death from bilious fever when he was thirty-seven years old.  

Little is known of Thomas Devin's childhood.  He appears to have spent all of it in New York City except for five years between circa 1837 and 1842 when he was in Missouri.  His father passed away on December 22, 1837, when Thomas was fifteen.  His mother died of consumption on February 11, 1843.  

Thomas Devin married Elizabeth May Campbell in New York City on December 3, 1846.  She was the grandniece of Sir Colin Campbell of Scotland.  They had a daughter Jeanette Elizabeth Devin born on September 28, 1848. She would marry Lieutenant Charles Braden (retired) of the Seventh U. S. Cavalry in 1879.

The 1848-1849 New York City Directory lists Thomas Devin as a painter residing at 611 Hudson.  Subsequent directories  also show his occupation as "painter" until he enlists in the United States Army in 1861. The 1852 Directory indicates he was a retailer of "paint, oil, etc." 

Devin was commissioned  as the captain of Company B, First Regiment, First Brigade, New York State Militia Cavalry, January 1, 1858, with rank to date from November 22, 1857.  There were 23 enlisted men in the company and three officers.  On July 2, 1859, he became the lieutenant colonel of the First Regiment, First Brigade, First Division, New York State Militia Cavalry which was commanded by Colonel Spencer H. Smith.  

Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Devin circa 1865

Following the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861, President Lincoln called for 75,000 men to "suppress treasonable combinations and cause the laws to be executed."  New York's quota was 13,280. General Winfield Scott requested the governor of New York, Edwin D. Morgan, furnish "100 mounted men from the First Regiment New York State Militia, with their own horses and equipment."  In 1878, Thurlow Weed, a newspaper publisher and New York politician, remembered meeting a stranger on the steps of the Astor House in July 1861, "who said he desired authority from the governor to raise a volunteer company of cavalry for immediate service.  [The stranger] said his name was Devin, that he was a painter by trade, and that he belonged to a cavalry regiment of the city, from which he could recruit a company in twenty-four hours."  Weed later wrote "I was so much impressed with Mr. Devin's bearing and manner that I asked him to come to my room in two hours.  Meantime I sent a dispatch to Gov. Morgan, asking him for the appointment of Mr. Devin as captain, to which I received an affirmative reply.  He [Devin] returned promptly at the appointed time.  He was evidently delighted when I addressed him as 'Captain Devin' saying that he would report next day, and immediately took his leave...The next day, Captain Devin returned with his muster rolls, showing that he had a full company, for which he required subsistence and transportation, both of which were immediately provided and on the following morning Captain Devin and his company were on their way to Washington."

Captain Devin's Company, also known as the Jackson Horse Guards, consisted of one hundred men, principally from Company A of the First New York State Militia  Cavalry, from New York City who had volunteered, upon the request of the General Government for some cavalry, for a service of three months.  Devin and his company were mustered into the service of the United States at Washington D.C.,  to date from July 14, 1861.

The Evening Star published in Washington D. C., reported on July 18, 1861, "About one o'clock this morning a detachment of [the] First Regiment of New York State Cavalry arrived in a special train under command of Lieutenant Colonel Devin.  Their horses [three hundred and fifty] had arrived several hours before them and had been conveyed to the government stables; so the men marched to their quarters in the first ward.  They came over the Northern Central road to Baltimore.  The detachment have not been sworn in for any stated period; but it is understood they will serve for three months, after which many of them will volunteer for the war.  The officers of this regiment are - Lieutenant Colonel T. C. Devin; Quartermaster, George W. Maxwell; Captains, W. E. Duding, J. F. Barkley, George Mundorf; First Lieutenants Frederick Kuebel, F[rancis] Reiss, K[yrion] Honan; Second Lieutenants John McAuliff, John Haggerty and William McGoldrick."

At least part of the time Captain Devin's Company was in the Washington D.C. area they were stationed at Camp Lyon south of Alexandria, Virginia.  While not drilling, Devin's command was engaged in provost duties in the defenses of Washington.   The cavalrymen were also engaged in skirmishes in Falls Church, Vienna and Lewinsville, Virginia.  At some point Captain Devin was ordered to report to Brigadier General William F. "Baldy" Smith for scouting duties in Loudoun County, Virginia.   In late September 1861, Devin was temporarily assigned to the staff of Brigadier General Isaac Stevens where he served as a brigade inspector.  When the three month term of service of Devin and his company expired the unit returned to New York and mustered out on October 23, 1861.

Thomas Devin was mustered in as colonel of the Sixth New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, "on the earnest recommendation of General Stevens and Senator [Ira] Harris" on November 18, 1861, by New York City's Mustering and Disbursement officer Colonel Delos B. Sackett.  Sackett, who graduated from West Point in 1845, had been an Assistant Instructor of Cavalry Tactics at the United States Military Academy between 1850 and 1855.  After quizzing the Irishman, to ensure he was competent to command the regiment, Sackett reportedly wrote "I can't teach Col. Devin anything about cavalry; he knows more about the tactics than I do."   At the time the freshly minted colonel stood five feet eight and one half high.  He had brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. 

The regiment, known as the  Second Ira Harris Cavalry, because it was originally intended to be part of the Ira Harris Brigade, set up recruiting headquarters at Number 4 Pine Street in New York City.  Volunteering commenced in July 1861 and was completed by October 24th.  The various companies mustered into the service of the United States between September 12 and December 19, 1861.  The regiment's original camp of instruction, was at Camp Scott which was located at Oldtown on Staten Island.  On December 21, The New York Herald reported,  "The Sixth New York Volunteer Cavalry, will leave for the seat of war on Saturday Morning next.  The regiment is being proficient in their drill, and will give their last dress parade in this vicinity today at their camp at half past two P.M."  

Colonel Devin and his Empire Staters left New York for York, Pennsylvania on the New Jersey Central Railroad on Monday December 23, 1861.  The New York Times noted, "The men are in an efficient state of discipline, and in numbers amount to nearly nine hundred, and will no doubt prove a valuable acquisition to the service."  The dismounted regiment spent the winter in the Keystone State building barracks and stables and receiving instructions in the school of the trooper.  

On January 3, 1862, while at his "Camp Harris" headquarters, Devin had an order published in the York Gazette notifying "all vendors of intoxicating liquors who shall hereafter be found furnishing such intoxicating liquors to any of the enlisted men connected with this Regiment, in any quantities or form, that upon proper proof of such offenses, their places of business  will be indicted and the full punishment of the law inflicted."  

On March 6, 1862, the Sixth New York was sent to Perryville, Maryland to guard depots and stores.  Shortly after their arrival in Maryland four companies under the command of Major Floyd Clarkson joined McClellan's Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula.  

While Devin and the remainder of his command was camped in the vicinity of Washington D. C., on June 20, 1862, the non commissioned officers and privates of the Sixth New York presented their colonel with "a splendid sabre."  The Evening Star reported, "The sabre is gotten up in the approved regulation style and is a very superior article.  The scabbard is of very highly polished steel, very richly chased, the devices being swords, battle axes and arrows bound together in bundles...The scabbard bears the following inscription: 'Presented to Col. Thos. C. Devin by the non-commissioned officers and privates of the Sixth New York Cavalry June, 1862'.  Accompanying the sabre is a scabbard for service, sword belt, shoulder straps, sash and spurs, all enclosed in a splendid rosewood box lined with white satin."  Senator Ira Harris presented the sabre to Devin "as a memorial of trust and confidence from soldiers to an accomplished officer and leader."  Upon receipt of the sabre "Colonel Devin replied he had no words to express his thanks for the testimonial.  He knew not why he deserved it.  All he had ever done was done in the execution of his duty...he had done that duty to the best of his ability, in studying the comfort of hims men and properly disciplining them...He trusted the regiment would never be ashamed of its Colonel; and he pledged himself that his saber would ever be ready to leap from its scabbard in the cause of his country, and the regiment should never be ashamed to follow his lead."

 Devin and the eight remaining companies remained in Maryland until July 15, 1862, when they were ordered to Warrenton, Virginia to join Major General Irvin McDowell's command, where they were engaged in scouting south of the Rapidan River.Following  Major General Pope's defeat at Second Manassas Devin and his troopers covered the evacuation of Fredricksburg and Aquia Creek.  

In a September 30, 1862, letter Colonel Devin wrote, [from August  29 to the 31st], "the 6th Reg[iment] alone held the line of the Rap[pahannock] from Fredericksburg to Rap[pahhanock] Station 40 miles, although constantly threatened by an overpowering force.  It was then reinforced by the 4th Reg[iment] Ca[valry] 1 squadron of Infantry and a section of Artillery all under Col. Devin.  

The command was then ordered by Gen. Burnside to retire to a position behind Deep Run.  The next day it was ordered to retire upon Falmouth which place I reached at 5 P.M. on the day of the evacuation.  I was ordered to feed my command and hold Falmouth for two hours after all the other troops had left and then to march to Stafford Court House and hold the place to cover the embarkation from Aquia Creek.  I held Stafford for two days and was ordered to fall back to Brooks Station - held that place one day and was ordered to Aquia Creek which I reached   as the last regiment marched on the transports - at 1 A.M. embarked my regiment and at daylight was in Wash[ingto]n, having acted as a rear guard covering the right flank of Burnsides Corps for 12 days after Pope had left it - the enemy being on three sides of us our only avenue of escape the Falmouth road.  It was reported for a week that we were cut off and it was only owing to the extent of the country we covered and the belief that we had a much larger force that the enemy did not gobble us up.  I was so worn out with fatigue that I slept on my horse during the journey to Stafford.  For seven nights I had not slept.  We arrived in Wash[ington] Friday morning [September 5] and on Sunday at 12 N. [September 7] we were ordered to take the advance of the army through Maryland."    

To be continued.....

I would like to thank descendent of Thomas Devin for providing information on his family.